Karoline Leavitt plans to exit her role as White House press secretary at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.
Leavitt is leaving to spend more time with her family, Trump said. She gave birth to a daughter in May, her second child.
Trump posted on Truth Social, “Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.
He added, “Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024. Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!”
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Leavitt wrote in a post on X, “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.”
Leavitt has served as press secretary since the start of Trump’s second term, typically holding weekly press briefings that have at times been confrontational with the press corps. She frequently criticized the media in her opening statements, while zealously defending the president and his record and attacking Democrats.
That was evident in her message on X, in which she thanked Trump for “entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium. I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.” She also warned that the country was “facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America.”
No successor has been named. When she was on maternity leave, various administration figures including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent led the briefings.
Trump himself has answered questions from the media in Oval Office availabilities or on his way to Marine One, and has taken calls directly from reporters who have his personal cell phone number.
Leavitt. 28, is the youngest person to serve as press secretary. She served as an assistant press secretary in the first term, made an unsuccessful bid for Congress and served as press secretary in the 2024 campaign.
During her tenure, the White House seized control of the make up of the press pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association, a private group of journalists who had for years assigned reporters to the daily task. The administration also barred the Associated Press from the pool after the news service did not switch references after Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. A federal judge ruled that the restrictions on the AP violated the First Amendment; an appellate decision is pending.
